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Suze Orman was as sincere as ever when Gina, a 56-year-old retiree, called her. Women and money podcast (1).
Orman was quick to shoot down Gina’s plan, which involved converting a $1.6 million pre-tax 401(k) into a Roth 401(k) and, eventually, a Roth IRA.
Orman was surprised to learn that the caller had received this financial advice from his company’s former benefits department. She replied: “With the greatest respect to the person who benefits you, are you crazy? Really?”
Orman went on to explain that converting a pre-tax 401(k) into any The Roth account would trigger a taxable event since you are transferring funds from a tax-deferred account to a tax-free one.
Turns out shuffling accounts isn’t the tax loophole Gina thought it was.
A retirement strategy can be difficult to develop.
For starters, the American system is notoriously complicated and clunky. The Tax Policy Center says the system becomes even more complicated every year (2). In 2025, President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill added a significant number of new tax provisions, which can make planning for your future more challenging.
Beyond a complex tax system, Orman says there’s another big problem for Americans, especially women.
In an interview with MSNBC, Orman said that women over 50 tend to avoid dealing with money and planning for the future, while instead focusing on their families (3).
According to Orman, “women still give more to others than we give to ourselves and that is a big mistake.”
Read more: Is retirement approaching without savings? Don’t panic, you are not alone. Here are 6 easy ways to catch up (and quickly)
The reality is that taking care of your own finances can also be a great gift for your loved ones.
Services like Advisor.com can provide trusted and reliable guidance on retirement planning. Trained financial professionals can help you design the retirement plan that best aligns with your future goals.
How it works is simple: simply enter your zip code and answer a few questions about yourself, then Advisor.com will match you with the best options from its curated list of financial professionals. From here, you can book a free, no-obligation consultation to ensure they are the best fit for your financial goals.
Once you have your plan in place, Orman advocates long-term wealth generation.
He frequently emphasizes that saving early can reduce your tax burden and allow for compound growth, fostering greater financial security for you and your family later in life.
She is a big fan of Roth IRAs and their tax-free withdrawal benefits. He went so far as to say, “I truly believe that, in most circumstances, the only place you should invest money is in a Roth account, if it’s available to you,” in his podcast episode on retirement planning for 2026 (4).
In large part, this is because these accounts can help you avoid a nasty tax torpedo effect on your Social Security benefits in retirement.
It’s not just about choosing the right combination of accounts for your retirement. A comprehensive retirement strategy includes careful investment choices within those accounts, no matter what they are.
For example, if you are approaching retirement age and are optimizing for a more stable portfolio, you might consider less volatile investments for your portfolio.
Gold is typically less volatile than stocks during economic crises and recessions, and the value of the precious metal has increased by approximately 70% in the last year alone, through early January (5). In the last two decades, gold prices have risen more than 700%.
One reason to invest in precious metals like gold is that they can offer significant tax advantages. This can be especially important for retirement planning.
Opening a gold IRA with the help of Priority Gold means you are working with a precious metals industry leader, offering physical delivery of gold and silver.
If you want to convert an existing IRA to a Gold IRA, Priority Gold offers 100% free rollover, as well as free shipping and storage for up to five years. Qualifying purchases can also receive up to $10,000 in free silver. Just keep in mind that gold is often best used as just one part of a well-diversified portfolio.
You might also consider leveraging additional asset classes for a resilient long-term portfolio.
Real estate can be a solid way to diversify your investments while benefiting from tax-free growth and steady retirement income, as long as you plan correctly.
For example, when you invest in real estate directly instead of investing in shares of a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), you can reap direct tax benefits.
When you own real estate, if you receive a dividend from your investment, you don’t lose any of it in taxes. What’s more, you can often deduct any depreciation on the property to reduce your taxable income.
When you invest in real estate with Mogul, you can benefit from those tax advantages by owning approved properties, without having to manage the rental of them.
Mogul is a real estate investment platform that offers fractional ownership in prime rental properties, providing investors with monthly rental income, real-time appreciation, and tax benefits. The best part is that you won’t need to shell out a hefty down payment or take calls from tenants at 3 am. Mogul takes care of everything for you.
Founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate investors, the team carefully selects the top 1% of single-family rental homes nationwide on your behalf. Simply put, you get institutional quality deals for a fraction of the usual cost.
Each property undergoes a vetting process, requiring a minimum 12% return even in negative scenarios. Overall, the platform has an average annual IRR of 18.8%. Meanwhile, its cash-on-cash returns average between 10 and 12% annually. Offers usually sell out in less than three hours, and investments usually range between $15,000 and $40,000 per property.
Another way to diversify real estate is through a checkbook IRA.
With Arrived, you can invest in real estate through a self-directed checkbook IRA, meaning you could benefit from tax-free investments.
Arrived makes it easy to add vacation or rental properties to your investment portfolio, regardless of your income. Simply browse their curated selection of homes and once you find a property you like, choose the number of shares you want to purchase.
Arrived also offers a Private Credit Fund made up of short-term loans that finance professional real estate projects. These projects can include anything from renovations to new construction.
As an investor, you can invest in the fund and then earn monthly interest payments on these loans. Historically, the fund has generated an annualized dividend of 8.1%.
Whatever you choose, it’s important to remember that retirement planning can be very challenging if you do it alone. Finding the right and qualified support is key to feeling confident in the investments you will ultimately make for your best financial future.
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Women and Money Podcast by Suze Orman (1, 4); Fiscal Policy Center (2); MSNBC (3); Gold price (5)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
